Finance Advisor Dr. Salehuddin Ahmed has said that the rivers of Bangladesh must be protected.
To get a fair share of water, an agreement with a guarantee clause must be made. A strong position based on facts must be taken, he said while addressing a seminar on Saturday on upstream withdrawal of river water: Economic disaster for Bangladesh.
He noted that the people are united. “We must be given a fair share 54 rivers. We will do whatever is necessary to realize this”.
The Finance Advisor said that there is arbitrariness in the region regarding water. The recent severe floods in Feni and Comilla were caused by the release of excess water from the Dambur reservoir built on the Gumti River in Tripura without warning in time.
But, by withdrawing water at upstream during the dry season, a serious environmental disaster is created in the lower basin country of Bangladesh, he added.
Salehuddin Ahmed said that the water problem is bigger than the oil problem. This could lead to a third world war. Due to our location in the lower basin, we are not getting our fair share of water in Bangladesh.
He said many people say that a political decision is needed. There is political division in Southeast Asia, but they are maintaining an agreement acceptable to all on the Mekong River.
Again, despite many tensions between Pakistan and India, they are maintaining the agreement on the Indus, he said.
In Europe, the countries of the Danube River Basin are using it peacefully, the finance advisor said: “We want to get a fair solution to the water problem. For that, international assistance is needed. We have to solve it together”.
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He observed that one sad thing is that the bottom of the Hardinge Bridge is dry and people go to see it. This miserable environment cannot be fixed without just share of water.
He said that the ideal of the oppressed people's leader Maulana Bhashani is our ideal of equality. The people of Bangladesh will always draw inspiration from the path of struggle he has shown to protect water and the environment.
International Farakka Committee Chairman Syed Tipu Sultan recalled the August uprising and drew everyone's attention to achieve its goals.
If all the river water is withdrawn, Bangladesh will turn into a Sahara desert. To save it, everyone will have to move forward collectively.
He mentioned the Long March of 2004 and said that if necessary, we will have to raise our demands at the United Nations.
In the interest of maintaining the sovereignty of the country, military training should be given to the youths. Then no country will be able to subdue us.
Special guest, Professor Jasim Uddin Ahmad said that a basin-based agreement should be made to solve the river problem. If the problem is not solved bilaterally, it should be taken to the United Nations. A national government should be formed by all to solve all the problems of the country.
Presiding over the event, Mostafa Kamal Majumdar, presented the keynote speech of the seminar and said that the damage to Feni and Comilla due to the Gumti River flood has been initially estimated at 140 billion taka.
In this context, he said the annual economic loss to Bangladesh due to the control of the water flow of 54 joint rivers including Ganga, Teesta, Brahmaputra, Meghna will exceed one lakh crore taka.
The seminar was addressed among others by Abu Sayeed Shaheen, IFC, Jamaluddin Jamil, eminent journalist, Kazi Mustafa Kamal, Samyabadi Dal, Dr. Abu Yusuf Saif, Member Secretary, Bhashani Anusari Parishad, Dr. Naim Chowdhury, Rafiqul Islam Azad, eminent journalist, Dr. Najma Ahmad, Vice President, International Farakka Committee, Bangladesh; Sheikh Rafiqul Islam Bablu, Convener, Bhashani Anusari Parishad.